Cell Phones Aggregate Tourist Info
Cell phones were used in the first experiment of its kind in Japan to transmit and receive sightseeing information in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture. The experiment was conducted by six companies, including an aeronautical map manufacturer and a cell phone company, under the auspices of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry. Given the growing participation in the Wiki-series of content-from-all, content-for-all open-editing projects, mobilers in Japan may just be onto something.
The Yomiuri reports that on Jan. 15, a small group of people used cell phones to add their comments on scenic spots and attractions to a digital map. One added a remark to a picture of Kasuga Shrine: “Here you can take part in the most cheerful festival in Japan.”
The report also says that other members of the team, playing the role of tourists, retrieved the remarks over their cell phones. Full article here.
This appears to be a textbook example of using mobile terminals to create an open-edit database, precisely along the lines of the various Wiki-based collaboration sites.